


Esperance

by Shaleschnueffler



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkwardness, Best Boys, Black Paladin Keith (Voltron), Emotions, Feels, Gen, Heart-to-Heart, Homesick Lance (Voltron), Homesickness, Hope, Hope vs. Despair, Hopeful Ending, Keith in Love (Voltron), Late Night Conversations, Leadership, M/M, Mentions of Other Voltron Paladins, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Keith/Lance (Voltron), OR IS IT, One Shot, Outer Space, Paladins, Possibly Unrequited Love, Post-Season/Series 03, Red Paladin Lance (Voltron), Sad, Sad Keith (Voltron), Sad Lance (Voltron), Social Issues, Socially Awkward Keith (Voltron), Talking, Team, Unrequited Love, keith is trying his best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24257809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaleschnueffler/pseuds/Shaleschnueffler
Summary: Keith runs into Lance, late at night. They're both not at their best. Conversation ensues. Keith is trying what he can.Romantic background although it is not directly mentioned - whether the fic is based on romance or friendship is up for interpretation and preference (I guess?)
Relationships: Keith & Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Minor! - Relationship
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Esperance

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! Not sure for how long or for how many fics but at least this one made it! Upon rewatching Voltron, I just felt the urge to write something. So here we are. Hope you guys enjoy!

It was late at night, judging by the emptiness of the Castle, at least. Sometimes it was hard to find the difference between day and night, out there in space where there was complete darkness from one wormhole jump to the other at times. They'd gotten used to it, for the most part, their sleep schedules often messed them up quite a bit but it'd been some time since they'd spent their first day in the Castle and all of them had stopped trying to rest when they were supposed to at some point.

At that moment, everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone. Except for Keith, that was. With too much on his mind, he hadn't managed to find any sleep and had gone for a walk instead, heading right towards the training deck, the place he'd probably spent most of his time so far. Nobody to disturb him, some exercise, and, most importantly, an opportunity to get his mind off things. A perfect environment for him. Walking through the empty hallways of the Castle that were only dimly lit, he sighed. It seemed like only a few weeks had passed since they'd found the Blue Lion and had taken off into space, not knowing that it would take them years to ever return - _if_ they ever managed to return, that was -, but at the same time, it could've as well been deca-phoebs. And at the same time, he hated that he'd grown accustomed to those alien terms. And to being one of those aliens. Burying his hands deeper in his pockets, he sped up a little, trying to think about different things instead. Shiro was back. They'd make it back with him, for sure.

Something caught his eye then, causing him to slow down, eyebrows raised in confusion. There was a light illuminating one of the corridors, and Keith quickly rounded the corner, following the source. He was cautious, yes, but not alarmed. The Castle's intruder scans were flawless, to be trusted, and couldn't possibly be overheard. And, besides, seeing some of his friends up at this time wasn't exactly something new, he'd run into most of his comrades during his night-time walks already - and while he really wasn't in the mood for even more social interaction at most times, he was somewhat hoping to find Shiro to be the one sitting quietly at the table in the lounge. Who he saw, however, worried him, if only a little.

\- "Can't sleep?", he asked, although he could've simply turned around and gone on with what he'd originally planned to do. Despite his steps echoing back from the walls due to the lingering silence, he, apparently, hadn't even been noticed. But still, he stayed, sitting down on the bench opposite his friend. _Friend_. Damn, what this journey had done to him. All of them.

\- "What? Oh, hey. Keith. Yeah", was the slightly late response, and Lance forced a smile. "It's just... Remember that thing we saw yesterday? It looked like a hamster. And a platypus. In one!" Keith raised a single eyebrow in confusion for a second in which his friend took a breath and shrugged. "I just... miss home, I guess. I mean, how do _you_ cope with all this? Missing your family, and friends... and just everyone!" Leaning back and exhaling audibly, the Red Paladin spread his arms over the bench's backrest, slightly watery eyes set on the ceiling.

\- "Hard to miss what you don't have", Keith simply said. He'd only had Shiro back then, after his father had died. Maybe he really was somewhat lucky not to have anyone else. Or maybe he'd just been too unlucky before. His bad luck had run out early. What an irony.

\- "Lone wolf Keith is back at it again...", Lance sighed, rolling his eyes only just so much for the Black Paladin to notice, who then raised his eyes from the floor to look over.

\- "That's...not what I meant", he started, backing against the rest, "I just don't have family anymore. And most people didn't - and don't - want anything to do with me. You're the best example."

Lance's eyes seemed to widen a little before he suddenly sat up, leaning forward, his forearms placed on his knees for support.

\- "What are you talking about?", he suddenly spoke up, with something like indignation visible on his face. "I mean, _yeah_ , you're a nag and your hair is _terrible_ and sometimes you're being an _actual jerk_ \- but we're in this together. Besides, you're not even _that_ bad. Once you take off your _'I'm Keith, I'm a loner and I'm super antisocial'_ front, that is." With every word he said, he appeared to get a little more defensive. Eyes closed and arms and legs crossed, he leaned back once more.

\- "Thanks. You're not too bad, either", Keith joked, smirking, receiving a disdainful huff in response, which he knew not to take seriously. This was Lance, after all, their sharpshooter and goofball, as Pidge had called him, easily upset but equally emotional and thoughtful; Keith had learned that over time - even though it had taken him quite a while to finally get behind the Red Paladin's happy-go-lucky facade. Thinking about it, Lance was probably still somewhat positive that nobody had figured him out yet, although basically everyone had by now. He always tried to seem strong, and funny, and whatever it was that he was trying to inflict on the women, but all that time in space, away from home, family, and friends, undergoing near-death experiences and losing allies and comrades on a basically daily basis... it had shaken them all up. Had brought out sides and traits of each and every one of them that they hadn't known existed. They'd learned and lost so much. Keith couldn't blame anyone for struggling, really.

He'd expected a witty response, some weak comeback or stupid comment, any Lance-like reaction at all, but all he got was another deep sigh.

\- "You okay?", he asked, worry in his voice. 

Lance looked at him, shrugging.

\- "So much has changed... I mean, look at us! I actually _like_ you! How the heck did that even happen?!", he suddenly burst out, the despair clear in the way he spoke and moved before averting his eyes again. There was a dismissive kind of look in his face, but, still, the sadness in his features was unmissable. "Thing is... I just... really wanna go back home... and see my family again. My mom, my dad. I _hate_ space! I mean, the Lions, and the Castle, and Allura, and all those cute aliens, they're freaking amazing, don't get me wrong! But.. if I could choose? Between home and here? It's... Sometimes I just wish we'd have never... I mean, if we hadn't...-" Keith frowned, surprised. He surely hadn't expected his friend to open up like this. And he definitely hadn't been prepared. He breathed in deeply, bracing himself.

\- "Lance", he interrupted the other Paladin's rambling, who immediately went quiet. Having effectively drawn Lance's attention, Keith, voice steady, straightened up. "I get you. We all miss Earth and we all wanna go back home. But the team needs you, the _universe_ needs you." Lance looked up, a shimmer of both astonishment and hope in his eyes. "We'll go back once we've defeated the Galra, once we've made sure that Earth is safe from them. We're doing this to keep everyone safe. We've been chosen for this, and we've been going for so long. We _can't_ back down now. Alright?"

His words drew a smile from the Red Paladin, a genuine one this time.

\- "Do you know that you _really_ suck at cheering people up?", Lance asked, but the weak, hopeful smile was still present on his face, betraying his words. "Thanks, Keith."

\- "No problem. I guess that's what a team leader's there for." He didn't know what else to say. Social interactions - and especially heart-to-hearts - had never been one of his strengths, but he tried his best, and that was what counted in the end, right? "If there's nothing else, I'll be catching up on some training." He stood, not thinking about how distant his words sounded, even in his own ears, but Lance didn't seem to care all that much anyway. Climbing the few stairs and heading towards the exit, Keith attempted not to look as tired and exhausted as he felt, both physically and emotionally. Until he'd finally have the opportunity to really occupy his mind, he'd just focus on this and that, anything to distract himself. He really didn't need all the thoughts and worries and-

\- "Uh, wait!" Torn out of his thoughts, he stopped dead in his tracks, motionless. "Keith? There's... something else I've been wanting to tell you... ask you... I don't really know."

Keith's heart began to thump quicker in his chest, and in the quiet of the room, he was almost scared that Lance could hear it too. Internally, he scolded himself. What had he become? _Who_ had he become? There was so much hope inside him that he couldn't get rid of, no matter how hard he tried. Aimless, unfounded hope for something that would never come, that, in the end, would cause nothing but disappointment and sorrow. He'd never been one to hope, not really. He'd forced himself not to. But so much had changed over the years, and here he was now, a nervous, hopeful, raging mess. His heart and mind, hope and reality, waging war, and his body was the battlefield.

\- "Yeah?", he responded, turning around.

A few seconds of silence followed. Lance had risen from where he'd been sitting before, his right hand placed on his left upper arm in an awkward manner, his gaze set on the floor directly in front of him.

\- "I...", he began, raising his eyes and meeting Keith's, but only a split second later, he shook his head, almost vigorously. "Ugh, nevermind, it's... it's nothing. I guess I'm just... really tired. I'll try to get some sleep. See ya, Mullet", Lance smiled, raising his hand in a dismissing manner and turning to leave, though Keith could see the emotions storming inside his blue eyes.

\- "Alright. Try not to think too much. We'll make it back, I promise." With these words and a soft, genuine yet sorry smile that neither reached his eyes nor his friend's, the Black Paladin turned his back on the lounge once more. Forcing himself not to look back, he left with steady steps, in a direction opposite of where Lance was headed; jaw and hands clenched, eyes sternly set forward.

He'd made a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

Hopefully, they'd make it back. Back to Earth, back home, back to where they belonged.

Once he'd reached the deck after what had felt like an eternity, he took off his jacket, carelessly throwing it onto the floor.

Keith had never exactly been one to trust in hope. But right now? It was all he had. All they had.

He tightened his grip on his blade, readying himself.

He felt a little happier. A little more hopeful. A little more optimistic.

Charging at his first enemy, he realized that maybe, not all the changes their journey had brought upon them were bad. That, maybe, with just a little hope, things would turn out to be okay. Maybe not everything, maybe not all he was wishing, _hoping_ for. But something. Anything. There was no other way.

His optimism would pass again soon, within a few hours, would be swapped for grief and pain and rage. But he went to bed with a smile on his face that night. And, at least for now, that was really all that mattered.


End file.
